Adipic acid (hexanedioic acid; Figure 1) is among the most important aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, with about 2.5 billion kg produced annually. It is isolated as odorless, colorless crystals with an acidic taste. Adipic acid undergoes the reactions of carboxylic acids,…
Properly specifying process control valves for a plant project is critical to achieving efficient and effective processes. This one-page reference discusses key considerations for specifying control valves. Valve specification Process engineers should take the following aspects into consideration when specifying…
Using a vast collection of experimental distillation-column data, sieve tray stability, and its influence on efficiency, are explored in terms of several physical and mechanical properties For trayed distillation columns, the concept of tray stability was introduced by the author…
This practical guide provides information on proven backwash-tuning techniques that will improve the reliability and robustness of sand filters in water treatment applications Water is a fundamental part of virtually all plants in the chemical process industries (CPI). Examples of…
This company’s sanitary vertical blenders (photo) are engineered for rapid homogenization and drying in delicate applications under vacuum. The design avoids the destructive effects of heat on unstable ingredients, and it promotes vaporization at lower temperatures during gentle agitation while…
EnviroGold Global Ltd. (Toronto, Ont., Canada; www.envirogoldglobal.com) has filed a patent application for a proprietary electrochemical process designed to achieve advanced metal recoveries from refractory ores with reduced capital expenditures (capex) compared to industry standard solutions. “The residual metals contained…
Enterprise-level software simplifies data management Last month, this company launched its Plantweb Optics Data Lake (photo), an enterprise-level data-management software solution that helps manufacturers reduce data complexity so that they can fully leverage operations data across a production site or…
Detailed plans for handling hazardous materials should be a central part of any chemical plant’s disaster preparedness plan Over the past year, many chemical facilities managed to overcome extreme circumstances. One instance of an extreme event was the winter storm…
Special considerations must be made for loading expensive solid catalyst materials into fixed-bed and tubular reactors Most units in the chemical process industries (CPI) use complex and expensive heterogeneous catalysts aimed at improving reaction performance. Although sometimes overlooked, the solids-handling…
This overview presents guidance for the safe design of piping systems that are used for the distribution of hydrogen gas Hydrogen gas is a very volatile fluid that has a high propensity to leak. This is a very dangerous and…